Fun

Science isn’t the personal dominion of boffins in lab coats shaking Erlenmeyer flasks. Loads of people get involved with science. Science is about methods and mathematics and many other things. But, it begins with a thought, a hypothesis, observation, and the collection of each careful minute observation into the usefulness of organised data.

This might start in the lab if you’re intent on scrutinising the playful bumping around of molecules under the microscope. Or, it might be amateur birders noting the first arrival of the season of an elegant migratory bird, astronomers noting a hitherto unnamed speck in the vast canvas of the sky, or even volunteers washing and documenting broken old, very, very, very old pots in the archaeology lab.

You might be a schoolkid, homemaker, plumber, accountant, cyclist, or that government bureaucrat nobody likes. It doesn’t matter. Everyone can get involved. It’s not called citizen science for nothing. Are you a citizen? Yes? It’s your science!

Just as science has biology, citizen science has DIY bio, which, let’s be honest, sounds like a terribly awkward name. It also flies by another name: biohacking. That’s kind of scary, isn’t it? But it’s really just regular ol’ science! We don’t want to be stopped and interrogated by the authorities everywhere we go, so, let’s call it something nice.

So… (apologies to our dearest DIY bio friends), we’ll call it open bio in this article! (I swear to anything sacred, it’s Adeline’s idea)* And, it happens all over the world.

* yes it’s me, DIY Bio is a horrible term, Open refers to a lot more: open source, access, inclusion, diversity, open to new ideas, possibilities etc.. ~Adeline

Open Bio in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Citizen science and open bio are open to all and sundry, for sure. However, nobody does awesome work without some knowledge, right? Science must begin with education.

Originally intending to go to Bangladesh to see wildlife, Adeline ended up spending a wonderful week in Dhaka with the Tech Academy (Thank you, Marc!). The Hackteria connection to Shams Jaber led to Open bio workshops and discussions in Dhaka early this year, with the aim of sharing about tools and resources to “take” biology education and research out of academic institutions, and of course, to do the usual spiel about wildlife and using bio for good e.g. investigating pollution, conservation etc.

At BRAC talking about Biohacking, Citizen Science and Biodiversity research and conservationBringing Computer Science and Life Science students together for a hands on workshop at IUB,

Sihinta (now with the newly formed Biobot group) reports with such wonderful gusto that it’s best read unedited:

As a lover of biology and a dedicated student in biotechnology, I truly respected the key point of the “Bio-hacking” workshops: the importance of reaching out to the public about what we know in science, also known as citizen science. Open Bio gives a platform where people of varying ages, different educational backgrounds and diverse goals come together and learn with one another. It’s a fun and interactive way of learning, and meeting new people.

The Open Bio workshops in Dhaka consisted of teachers, students and children as young as four. The main activity with the kids was isolating DNA from strawberries. We all mashed strawberries, while sneakily eating a few, and mixed it with drops of detergent and alcohol to collect some long stringy white clumps, the DNA!

Promon Khan, researcher at BRAC University, guided the children with DNA extraction. His experience with bio-hacking was fruitful and enjoyable, and he mentioned “young minds never fail to surprise me when I see them learning something no matter if that’s a rhyme or DNA extraction!”

Shahreena Rahman, biotechnology student at North South University and high-school teacher, will apply what she learned in a few hours of the workshop to her teaching techniques: “I’m looking forward to showing my students what I do in my high-tech labs by using these bio hacks in my classroom. Thanks to Adeline Seah and The Tech Academy, now more people outside of labs can carry on with their experiments to satisfy their curious minds.”

Sheikh Saqif Ahmed, president of BRAC University Natural Science Club, anchored the Bio-Hacking workshop held at BRAC University. In regards to his experience he mentioned “I did have fun and learned a lot about citizen science and the importance of availability of science to the general public. We were also introduced to kids who are eligible in coding and making electronic gadgets.”

As for me, the two workshops I attended left me with a new goal: to gain the ability to break down intricate bio-knowledge filled with jargon and clearly communicate it with people in an easy and entertaining manner.

I believe Bangladesh is filled with bright minds who are willing to work ardently for their education and career. Open Bio and citizen science can utilize the potential of the youth, and it’s a perfect introduction to science for many. For this reason, The Tech Academy and BRAC University Natural Science Club are already planning to form a six month introductory biology curriculum for children and beginners. In the near future, they also wish to commence research projects where children can directly participate.

Thanks to the Open Bio workshops held in Dhaka, new paths towards science are being paved.

Last day in Dhaka, Feb 11, just happened to be the UN International Day of Women a& Girls in Science, so some of us met up at Jatra Biroti again to hang out, talk science & Open Bio in Bangladesh!

It’s that time of the year again! The 6th Festival of Biodiversity will be held at Serangoon NEX, B2 Event Plaza from 10.30am to 10.30pm.

The Pangolin Story will be at the Festival of Biodiversity again this year, we have also partnered officially with the Temasek Polytechnic Green Interest Group (TPGIG) to help us with our pangolin awareness activities. They’ve been volunteering with us since our first Festival of Biodiversity event in 2014, and we’re really happy to continue working with them.

This year, our newest pangolin team member will be joining us. We still don’t have a name for her so there’ll be a naming contest, and prizes to be won, so come by our booth and say hi!

“Microbial March” is a living fermentation lab that invites everyone to come and learn about the art and science of food fermentation and to reconnect with their bodies and their environment through microbes.

Fermentation – a metabolic process that converts sugar to acids, gases, and alcohols by using microbial cultures (so-called “fermentation starter cultures”) – has been known as a traditional food making technique since the Neolithic Age.

After a short introductory talk about microbes + fermentation and their social, environmental, and health impacts, lab visitors will be invited to engage in a collaborative hands-on making of various cultured foods and drinks.

Everyone is welcomed to bring and share fermentation ingredients, starter cultures, as well as traditional fermentation wisdom and recipes known in their country, neighborhood or family. Along with the exchange of various cultures, both in the literal and metaphorical sense, we will discuss various fermentation-related issues as well as the globally growing inter-cultural tensions.
The event is co-organized by the FabCafe Singapore, The Singapore Eco Film Festival and the Fermentation GutHub group.

We will experiment with different teas and sugar levels (kombucha), salt ratios (veggies), additional ingredients (e.g. mango in kefir). The finished jars can stay in Fab Café to sit and ferment (there will be a follow-up tasting session in 2 weeks – exact date TBC). Everyone is also welcomed to bring her/his jars home of course!

The 2nd edition of EarthFest will be at Marina Barrage with lots to do!

Every year millions of tons of plastics end up in our oceans, the same waters that we fish from. Microplastics have been found in the seafood sold for human consumption, and you can learn more about this problem at EarthFest at a screening of A Plastic Ocean (320 to 520pm). If you missed the film at last year’s SGEFF, here’s another chance to catch it! Get your tickets at: http://plasticocean.peatix.com

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